I’m usually very bitter on this day. I refuse to celebrate love just because “the man” tells me that I should spend more money. I refuse to celebrate love because Hallmark needed to right their account books between Christmas and Easter.
However, I will celebrate a lovely set of pictures from Hello! Project. Here are the girls of MoBeKiSuJu. Fun facts: (a) look at Sayumi’s Valentine Card and see for yourself! (b) Mizuki’s vertical stripes are at their limit, (c) Miyabi’s horizontal stripes are barely affected, (d)as a group C-ute are also really good at drawing, (e) Airi drew Suu san again, (f) Kanyon looks AMAZING, and (g) Uemu looks like the cutest bully I’ve ever seen.
Morning Musume ’14Continue reading →

I don’t remember the last time anticipation for a Hello! Station was this intense. As the release date for Morning Musume’s 54th single nears, this anticipation only heightened. Last week, Hello! Station played the dance shot for “Ai no Gundan”. A concert rip of “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke” appeared following the summer Hello! Project concerts over the weekend. Earlier, Tsunku coyly hinted that the PV for “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke” would air on H!S 26, then a preview of the PV aired on Japanese television. This morning “staff” tweeted that problems delayed the release of this episode by a few hours. Can you feel the anticipation building? You wanted it; you got it. Continue reading →

This week, we start off immediately with Morning Musume announcing their 54th single “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke / Ai no Gundan”! Release date for the new single is 8/28/13. Yes, another double A-side wormed its way into Hello! Project’s release schedule.Continue reading →

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Tsunku growing up a little. In a Young Town interiew Tsunku implies that he sees all of the H!P members as daughters and couldn’t think of them in “that way”. He also notes that the girls’ parents have entrusted their daughters to him implying that Tsunku is in loco parentis. What does this have to do with Hello! Station? Nothing.

Hagiwara Mai takes the chair this week fresh from the announcement of her new photobook. Seeing Mai grow from a young girl in the public eye certainly gives Tsunku’s comments some weight. If you were around to see MaiMai as a munchkin with gigantic sunglasses, then you know it’s difficult to see her as anything more than the beautiful young woman into which she has grown. Continue reading →

This 21st edition of Hello! Project Station brings us S/mileage’s Takeuchi Akari for host. Take-chan was one of my initial favorites from the S/mileage second generation auditions, but my favoritism was based mainly on her experience as an Egg. For a while, I got a little bored with her and her wild singing voice. Her performance in “Yattaruchan” brought my opinion of her up a little.Continue reading →

This is a change. From all I’ve been reading on twitter, Hello! Station #20 episode is packed with PVs! Well, I’ll be writing a long form review for two of the PV’s in this episode, so don’t expect more than a few words in this viewer guide. Continue reading →

And yet, another Hello! Station Viewer’s guide makes its way a couple of days late to the party. Judging by Chinami’s festive pose (above), I don’t think she minds. This week’s host is Tokunaga Chinami from Berryz Kobo. Other than being more tan than the other girls, Chinami has never done anything for me. Was it Chinami who said that Miyabi was her girlfriend? I think it was, and this was notable

Honey is back for her second week! Highlights this week are the premiere of S/mileage’s “Yattaruchan” (which I really like) and a metric ton of backstage footage from the Hello! Project concerts. Let’s get started! Continue reading →

It’s one of the universal truths of 244. Berryz Kobo is better when they are stupid. Remember “Monkey Dance“? Loved it. “Seishun Bus Guide” and “Ryussei Boy” are equally silly and just as loved. “Madayade” doesn’t make the list. Whoever had the idea to sex up the Berryz is misguided about their appeal. Look at them! They are a motley crew if I ever saw one! So, how does “Golden Chinatown” stack up?Continue reading →